Overview
- The study published Monday, July 6 in PNAS reports millimetre‑by‑millimetre excavations at Üçağızlı II that place Neanderthals in the cave from about 77,000 to 59,000 years ago and Homo sapiens there from about 59,000 to 47,000 years ago.
- Archaeologists recovered roughly 19,252 stone tools and 24,236 animal bones and teeth, and they found the same basic stone‑tool technology and hunting targets in layers tied to both species.
- Researchers recovered 59 small marine shells including 29 Columbella rustica specimens that were carried into the cave across occupation layers and show signs consistent with ornament or symbolic use.
- The authors argue the simplest explanations are regional contact, cultural exchange or overlapping territories, and they stress the data do not yet demonstrate direct temporal or physical coexistence at the site.
- Üçağızlı II adds to Levantine evidence of behavioural overlap such as Tinshemet, contrasts with sites showing cultural turnover like Mandrin, and links to genetic signs of Neanderthal–modern human interaction while calling for broader surveys and more dating to clarify causes and scope.